The 49th
by crabApples9nane
Summary: Tatsumi didn't have time for romance with all the happenings in the Night Raid, having just lost two of his dear comrades. Then, one strange girl literally crashes onto him, claiming to be his daughter from the future, wielding an equally strange and unfamiliar teigu simply called The 49th.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

 _A/N: Hello, friends. I'm just new to this fan fiction shiz, and to celebrate the sad, depressing anime that is Akame ga Kill (and my sad, sad high school life), imma dump my OC story here. Come, take a look and leave me a word or two? I just wanna know how I do in the writing department._

 _There is more to this, I'm sure._

 _..._

Tatsumi was increasingly weakened. With blow after blow of Wave's Grand Chariot, he found himself at a defenceless, fatal position. No, he could not defeat Wave with his current abilities, which much he knew. So, how could he escape his current situation?

Or, he could—

"PAPA, look out!"

 _What the...?_

Before he could begin to comprehend, in a blitz of lightning speed, he found himself tumbling down, rolling on the ground, with a weight unlike his own, that was trapping him underneath. But as fast as that came, he felt freer once more and found that the weight above him was gone. But there _was_ another presence now.

Gaining a semblance of reality, Tatsumi brushed himself up and witnessed another fight between Wave and him—wait no; it was a girl, much, much younger than he, who showed a terrifying resemblance to Tatsumi. _Wait, what? Who..._

The girl's face was contorted into an angry frown, as she struggled to block Wave's blow with her... very, peculiar weapon. It was some sort of a shield, obvious enough to know it was metal in its gray hue and the clanking it made coming into contact with attacks, but it seemed to cover the girl with its concave-like shape, and it had a handle that stretched about its middle, where the girl double-handedly wielded it.

And the girl, well, had an eerily sense of familiarity which Tatsumi couldn't place at the moment. _Have I met her before?_

Her dark auburn hair at knee-length was sprawled about her face which was soaked in sweat, and a closer scrutiny revealed that she was in fact shaking and not at her best. Her eyes though, belied her condition with their piercing glare at her foe like a wild cat's, and Tatsumi briefly wondered how verdant greens could be that intimidating. He swore he saw those before.

"While I can defeat this guy alone, I would appreciate some helping hand here, you know." She rasped, and while her voice was young and high, it had the undertone of a veteran who had experienced more than what she seemed to let on.

Both Tatsumi and Wave seemed to have woken from those words, the former in his slight daze and the latter, in his realization of his apparent opponent.

"Who are you, and why are you defending—"

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

Taking the blue-haired soldier off-guard there, the mystery girl leapt, changing direction and aiming for his side using the shield weapon's edges, causing him to lose moment in his poor attempt in defence and for her to shout, "Now!"

Tatsumi, not one to lag around, had run towards Wave's back, and with that timing, smacked Wave's head with the back of his sword, effectively throwing the man into a temporary coma.

' _Yes, that takes care of him, but what about...?'_ As he peered into the other person, he saw that her eyes were still trained on the unconscious body but noticed that the fire on her eyes was gone, replaced by a knowing stress that came from a job this painful. Is she even an assassin? "I guess you're on their watch list now, huh? But thanks for—"

"Nonsense."

"Eh?"

Calmly walking towards the fallen opponent, the girl pointed the tip of a lance-like weapon ( _'wait, where did she get that, and where did her shield thing go?!'_ ) to his forehead, and Tatsumi felt fear for a moment, but even then, he could not do anything more as the sharp tip glowed a white sheen before disappearing. She flinched slightly but was unnoticed by Tatsumi's fixation on the weapon.

"There. Done."

It was as though she would say something more but decided against it, turning away from the man and Tatsumi and began to walk away before Tatsumi stopped her.

"W-Wait, what did you do?!" Even though Wave was an Empire soldier and therefore his enemy, Tatsumi was afraid of whatever she did.

She briefly turned.

"I erased his memory of me." When Tatsumi didn't look at least a bit believing, she faltered and her shoulders slumped in guilt, looking away. "I promise I... won't harm myself, too much."

Tatsumi was even more confused. That statement just put more questions than answers in his mind, but before he could ask, two familiar faces showed themselves.

"Tatsumi, are you alright?!" Lubbock exclaimed before coming to a halt with Akame by his side, both shocked at the new face.

Akame was the first to snap out of it, quickly drawing Murasame. "Is she a threat? Tatsumi, answer me!"

"Wait, no! You guys are misunderstanding—" Tatsumi quickly stepped in front of the mystery girl but flinched at her stricken expression like she had seen a ghost.

When stress had gotten the best of her, the girl's green eyes rolled at the back of her head, and she would have collapsed on the floor if it wasn't for Tatsumi quickly catching her.

Noting her sudden rise in temperature, Tatsumi turned to his two companions in a silent plea.

"She has fever. Please, let's get her to the hideout."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

.

"So, that's how I found out about Esdeath and her team, the Jaegers."

The remaining Night Raid members were rolled into a circle in the kitchen, solemn as they let Tatsumi recall his experiences in the mountains up to the weird girl they came across. No one uttered a word, each having a personal reflection within them until Akame came downstairs, a hand untiringly clutched at the sheathed sword. She was cautious, clearly not amused, but tolerant nonetheless. Tatsumi was grateful for that.

"She's sleeping," was all she said, before she joined at the empty seat, joining the sulking team on the table.

"Well, what are we gonna do about her?" Leone said afterward, seating upright, passing her question at Tatsumi. "You said she have some super powers and uh, a strange weapon, should we let her roam freely? We don't know her after all."

"What are you suggesting?" Tatsumi said with clenched teeth, surprising even himself and gathering everyone's attention. "That we put a chain on her neck? She's just a kid, even younger than us here, probably. And she's having fever too! She's already defenseless."

"Oi," Lubbock called worriedly, "I think Leone meant it well. We really don't know anything about this girl. How are we supposed to trust her? A lot can go wrong." Of course, they had a point. "And anyway, where is this overprotectiveness coming from?"

Tatsumi froze. Of course, they did have a point. Even Tatsumi himself could not place out why he seemed recklessly defensive of the girl there. Suddenly, Mine stood forcefully and eyed him hard. That was far from a forgiving look.

"Are you really that naive, Tatsumi? One strange girl comes in and calls you 'daddy' and you cave in? Don't you think that she might be a spy all along, that we're doomed at the start for taking her into our base?" she said as she desperately tried to cover her tears. "Fine! You be your stupid hero-complex idiot!"

No one said a word as the pink head rushed out. Tatsumi berated himself further at the mess he unwittingly set up. Then, out of the blue, Lubbock grinned at him weirdly.

"Ohhh snap, someone just got jelly for Tatsumi," he said in his perverted voice, grinning twice as big as the implication dawned on Tatsumi. He continued, as if narrating out of a storyline. "Oh, the tragedy! A couple lives on happily when a kid comes and claims that she was his kid… from one of his outside affairs!"

"That's not—she's not my—I'm not married, I mean, that is to say," Tatsumi stuttered, getting red and flummoxed as Lubbock's insane storytelling rang several warning bells and finally set his brain into collapse.

One, he and Mine weren't together. Tatsumi wasn't even sure how the pink head felt about him (but after this, it surely must not be good). Two, they were not living happily with this gigantic war up their throats. Three, he had never been on that, territory. Yes! Even with Esdeath, barely, but he managed to man up and out before they could ever do _the deed._

As Lubbock howled in laughter, Leone stood and he braced himself for more berating. However, she looked as serene as before, more composed even than at Tatsumi's retelling. "I get that nobody in this room is thinking clearly, so Imma take some fresh air. And some damage control. Akame, you wanna come?"

Akame nodded and wordlessly left with her. Lubbock turned to Tatsumi with a calmer smile that bellied his next words. "Alright dude, let's talk. Man to man. Who did you fuck?"

 _Oh my god._

"Is it someone we know? Someone from the Night Raid? A cute girl you picked up nearby?"

Tatsumi was ready to throw in the towel and just castrate him then and there, before he realized something. "Are you… trying to cheer me up, Lubbock?"

"Nah, I'm here to embarrass you further and make a blubbering mess out of ya," he said cheekily, making Tatsumi huff at the indirect answer.

"Tch, geez. You have a really bad timing. But you do have to know that I really didn't uh, fuck around," Lubbock cut him with a laugh in approval, before he continued with pressing patience: "I really don't have time for romances with the war and all nagging at our necks." Well, that was true.

"Of course not," he quickly supplied, as airy and insincere as before. "But really, is there someone that you're interested in and just drunk fucked at some bar?"

Tatsumi almost exploded. "LIKE I SAID—"

"I dunno man, you could have been stressed and took it out—"

"LUBBOCK."

"I'm from the future."

"Eh? EHHHH!" The twosome turned to the new voice and jumped in equal shock. Tatsumi was slack-jawed as the very person of their concern glided down the stairs. Mine's spare clothes fit her to a tee, and she stood with a gait that very much read 'defenseless', or maybe it had been Tatsumi's bias.

"EHHHH," Lubbock screamed again, looking her up and down hungrily. "The resemblance is uncanny!"

"Hey, stop ogling her!"

Then, a curious thing happened. The girl giggled. "You are really so fun, even now huh, Lubbock-sensei."

 _What?_

"What, what? What did you call me?" Lubbock literally ran towards her and smelled her all over. "More importantly, did I get the woman of my dreams?"

"Hey, stop being weird to her!"

The girl put a hand under her chin and grinned mischievously. "I don't know about that. But she surely gives you a _hard time_."

Then Lubbock melted on the floor like water, his soul sucked for heaven it seemed. He became a very red, very happy puddle of water. Then he murmured shakily, "I'm okay with that."

Tatsumi almost slapped his own face at the display. It was not even a second in that Lubbock was already presenting their finest side. Surprisingly, the girl was getting on with his weird humor, even heartily laughing along. He liked the sound of her laughter. He felt a surge of fatherly—wait, what?

Tatsumi couldn't get to continue the thought when the youngest started coughing vehemently and he had to nurse her on a chair. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" he inquired, in a soft voice.

"Nothing. Just a really bad cough that caught me," she said after a few more rounds of cough.

"Hey, Tatsumi-chibi-chan, you have a lot more to learn if you still cough on your own spit," Lubbock sagely advised, gingerly getting up from the floor.

"But you will teach me those stuff, won't you?"

As the two conversed like two old friends, Tatsumi fetched her a glass of water and observed her. He wasn't sure if it was the trick of light or… "Hey, aren't you too pale?"

The girl looked up with wide eyes before blinking the shock away with her trained smile. "I don't know what you are talking about!" She seemed to have recoiled back before realizing her own action. Tatsumi would have missed it had he not been paying a close attention. "I've always been like this. It's your fault you married someone so pale, you know!"

Then, Lubbock howled in laughter. "Oh, you got snark, and you got your dad beat! Oh, I so wanna meet this lady that boned your—"

"LUBBOCK," Tatsumi exploded in red.

The door creaked as it was opened, and the missing members filed in in curiosity. Leone, Akame and even Mine came back. Mine looked a bit guilty and flushed, deliberately facing the ground.

"What's with the ruckus in here?" Leone asked around, not yet spotting the tiny girl on one of the chairs. "We've only left for—AHHHHH!"

Only Leone shouted, Mine and Akame sharing identical faces of shock but nothing more. Lubbock and Tatsumi filed to the sides for them to see her more clearly. Silence ensued.

Lubbock coughed for good measure. "We gotta have that talk today, eh?"

Two, similar brown heads nodded in synchrony.

.

A/N: Yep, I totally said there was more to this, didn't I? ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

.

Once again, the crew was huddled by the kitchen and like the last time, was quiet as a blank sheet of paper. Most had their heads towards the table, with their faces a good inch away from kissing it. The air was so dense it could almost be Tatsumi's look-a-like.

Lubbock swiped a glance at his sulky teammates and haggard a say. "So, she wasn't able to say much, huh?"

"She passed out," Tatsumi murmured.

"Gee, thanks for the insight, genius," he replied back, dodging the look the swordsman gave him. Lubbock then chanced a look at each female Night Raid members; from Akame, Leone and then Mine. Curious Tatsumi abandoned his glaring and succumbed to his curiosity. With a tilt of his head, he wordlessly asked for an answer. Lubbock scratched his head furiously instead of giving one. "ARGH! I don't get it."

All heads turned to him. Tatsumi asked, "What is?"

"So, Mirai, huh? Quite a cheesy name," he pointed out, and Tatsumi's eyebrow twitched. He let him continue though. Lubbock coughed and brought his chair closer with a scrape. The four others waited for him seriously. "I apologize, my comrades. This war has gotten into our heads so much that we don't even deign to know ourselves better."

"Your point?" Mine scowled at the dramatics.

"I DON'T KNOW WHICH OF YOU LIKES FLUFFY AND CHEESY NAMES IS ALL!" he all but shouted, no doubt gaining him a brick ton of glares.

"Is all?!" "That's what you're worried about!"

Unaware of threat that was postured, Lubbock blindly walked deeper into the den. He wiggled his fingers dangerously and drooled. "Of course! If only I knew you girls better, I'd have known better what your preferences are! And I would know who liked hella cheesy names and know which of you ruined the poor kid's future!" _Plus, figuring out who lucked out with Tatsumi._

"That's what you're worked up about?!"

"LUBBOCK!"

"LEONE-!"

In a second, the blonde wrestler had him in a headlock. "LUBBOCK!"

Akame stood worriedly. "Leone!"

Mine recoiled away from the fight scene and watched, horrified. "Leone!"

Tatsumi attempted a grab at his raging seatmate. "Leone!"

"If someone says my name again—"

"Lubba~"

"Le—" The move was quick and they could not pinpoint what until Lubbock laid limp in the chokehold. Leone flinched but did not say anything.

Mine sped towards her friend. "Leone…"

Tatsumi gasped. "Lubbock!"

Akame followed suit. "Leone!"

"MIRAI!" The commotion quietened and all heads turned towards the voice. The child—Mirai—guiltily rubbed at her head. "You were all noisy so…"

"I can't believe this!" Mine straightened up like nothing had happened and haughtily walked passed the scene. "I'll be having another breather! I'll come back, as soon as everyone starts being sane."

"You're really strong, Leone-chan~" and she dropped the very conscious Lubbock on the floor and stepped away. The impact finally put him to sleep. She went out.

Finally, Tatsumi wandered up at Akame, who shook her head. "Please fix this," she said before going after the two.

"So this is how lively you guys have been." Mirai stared at the back of Tatsumi's head and appraised him. When he didn't budge, she tried again. "Are you going to do something about _him_?"

That got her a reaction. Tatsumi turned towards her apologetically and similarly, rubbed at his head as she did earlier. "Well. He kind of deserved it. Let's go upstairs?"

.

The twosome strolled on the second floor of their tiny home. Tatsumi awkwardly lead the walk to nowhere, and in his absence for words noted the tangerine lining of the sunset by the windows. The young girl didn't seem to mind.

After a moment of contemplation, Tatsumi coughed, the lilt in his steps bothered as he attempted the small talk. "Did you, uh, rest well?"

"Good," she answered curtly.

"Oh, um. Okay," he said, grimacing. "Do you wanna go back and rest some more?" He grimaced further, continuing in his try to salvage his cool. "I mean, I did notice your bad cough and you seem to be uh, out of strength…?"

"Really?" Tatsumi stiffened before accustoming himself to the feel of another clutching at his arm like a baby koala to a tree. "What do you notice, papa?" Her voice was serene and almost enchanting as she uttered them. But the last word broke the spell.

"Could you, call me Tatsumi instead?" He was truly not at ease of being called that, or even at the prospect of being one in his young age. But a part of him broke when he saw the girl's expression.

Mira's eyes were closed, and she leaned against his upper arm comfortably. Her face was that of comfort and pure contentment. With the sunset bathing her features, the entire frame was almost too wistful. Tatsumi was too unnerved that he almost missed her answer. "Alright…"

He paused stiffly. "O-Oh! Look, your room."

"My room," she smiled but did nothing more.

Thankfully as she was escorted to the makeshift bed, she let go and Tatsumi breathed a sigh of relief. But that breath stuck at his throat as he felt, rather than saw, her appraising him like an uncommon rune. Reflexively, he sat down when she patted the space next to her.

Tatsumi bit his tongue from screaming. The little girl took his arm and started kneading. He was flushing and he could not breathe and—he was about to EXPLODE. _'What—what—what's happening?'_

"This is nice…" Tatsumi was red all over and his mind could not be betraying him, could it? But the confusing evidence laid bare. The girl was truly, genuinely—and for all the apparent madness, this girl was— _glad_. "You've always been so hard here, even there..."

' _W-What is she…?'_

"You were always too hard, too…" Tatsumi might have been conversing with an alien with a backward language. He came into a point where he did not understand anything. "…scaly."

"U-Um?" He coughed in a better bravado. He should have made use of this situation. He could have provided intel for his team. He could have been a better member. He could—then he noticed something else. "Mirai… -chan?"

"Mm?"

Gaining the courage, he held up a hand against the girl's forehead. After a beat, he observed, "you're heating up."

"I guess I haven't rested much after all," she laughed, and the noise fading away in the room's emptiness. Tatsumi was quiet.

His mind raced with many possibilities, some good and some not. Then, biting his lip, he hazarded, "you… haven't done anything reckless, have you?"

"Of course not. What makes you think it?" but she was looking on the ground, or perhaps their intertwined fingers. Anywhere but Tatsumi's gaze.

"Mirai-chan…" Taking a step further, he inquired, "where are you from?"

"I know what I said," she said and he supposed it meant to be biting, but her condition bellied the effect. Tatsumi frowned. "Papa, I came from the future."

Tatsumi never considered himself smart or quick in the mind, but he could positively feel the gears clicking in place, since forever. But he had only ever played the role of the sword slasher, the first line of defense and never the thinker from the shadows. This reeled him in a helpless spiral.

"Then, how can we believe you? That you're, you're from the future? What happened that made you come here? Why have you come at all? How were you able to travel in time?"

"You ask so much," the girl said, frowning as well. Pouting, she looked away to the window and offered, "if it helps, my world is not in danger. New Era is as peaceful as a dumb rock. The future there is promising, just not Mirai-chan…"

Tatsumi dimly noticed the pun on her name, but even more questions arose as she answered. He shifted to make way for her as she freely set herself on the pillow, lying down underneath the covers. He opened his mouth to ask, but the commotion caught his ears faster than his mouth could form words.

' _Oh, and where is Tatsumi?'_

' _I think he's upstairs… I will… and check…'_

"Najenda-san is back?" he wondered to himself, eyebrows furrowing at the implications. Tatsumi thoughtlessly stood up, before a hand on his sleeve held him back.

"And I have decided to help you guys achieve what you wanted," she murmured, her eyes closing and her hand retreating.

"Eh? Since when?"

"Since now."

Tatsumi blinked as Mirai fell into slumber. Reality made a comeback.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

.

"OI! TATSUMI, get your ass in here! And as I was saying…" Tatsumi sighed. Lubbock had woken, apparently. It was uncharacteristic for the swordsman to get headache, but even the green-headed idiot was better than him in thinking.

All the way downstairs, he rubbed his forehead until he froze at the final panel. Several heads gauged him, two in particular who he could not recognize. "Um… w-welcome back." Tatsumi greeted them all the same.

He was thankful to their leader who ended the silence. "Mm," Najenda nodded. "I heard that it's been a ruckus without me, is that correct?"

"A-Ah, yeah," Tatsumi murmured, meekly glancing around the familiar ones before balking in confusion. Najenda, who was unaware of the dilemma, started the formal introductions.

"Since everyone else has had a head start, I would start by saying that we have two new recruits," she said, addressing this to both Tatsumi and Lubbock, the former not as attentive. "Boys, meet Chealsea and Susanoo."

"Yo, nice to meet you too!" Lubbock howled.

Tatsumi sent the three girls questioning glances but their faces remained inconspicuously blank. Akame looked ruffled, from her hair to her garments. Sweat beaded from her forehead, and her Murasame was drawn. Leone was in her fighting attire and doing an attempt to soothe some haggard breathing. But Mine? Tatsumi's eyebrows raised as he deigned the last, whose dress looked like it had been mauled by nasty branches in a marathon. Dirt and dried leaves stuck on it. Scratches adorned her legs and forearms.

"My name is Chelsea," Tatsumi blinked up as a hand was thrust in front of him. His gaze trailed upward to see a disinterested—or was it disapproving—gaze of the new orange head.

Hastily, he took it. "I'm Tatsumi."

Chelsea quickly took off and rounded the others for a handshake, but Tatsumi bit his lip and massaged his arm, warranted by the girl's iron grip on it earlier.

"I'm Susanoo," the gruff man said, and Tatsumi almost balked. This man was huge! He looked stoic and almost robotic, but his eyes were electric blue and they looked feral.

Tatsumi wasted no time in taking his hand. "My name is Tatsumi."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Thankfully, his grip wasn't as hard as the girl's had been despite his aura.

"You seem to be spaced out, Tatsumi," Najenda said, standing next to him as the introductions progressed. "Been playing host to our visitor?"

Tatsumi swallowed. He really did not want to be reminded at the moment. "Yeah… she is quite a handful, in the least."

"As I've heard," she answered with a light nod. In a smaller voice intended only to the young boy, she said, "I would like to request your audience later. Training grounds. And see to it that everyone's asleep and you're alone."

Tatsumi was confused. "Yes?"

"For now," she said, and the tone changed. "We have a celebration coming up, prepared by our very Susanoo! And also some catching up to do, with my apparent housekeepers for the day." Najenda winked at Tatsumi and offered her robot fist unfolded.

Tatsumi gaped. On the green palm was a dangerous-looking syringe with equally disturbing content.

.

Leone had reached outside, seeing a fuming pink head kicking off innocent stones and decided. "Geez, Lubbock is such a bugger!" she said, languidly walking by and the same time introducing her presence.

"I don't care," so Mine said, even though the quick gasp didn't go unheard. Stubbornly, she crouched down and started writing 'Tatsumi is a big idiot' on the sandy soil. Leone wondered if she even knew what she had just written.

"I mean, Tatsumi is kinda reckless too, taking strangers in and shouting at us and all that," she said nonchalantly, waiting for the reaction while looking towards the far off trees.

"I KNOW RIGHT?" there it was. Mine scoffed loudly and stood up. "Who does he think he is? As if he had been here for longer to boss us around like that…!"

Leone could not stop the slight twitch of her lips, thanking the world silently that the shorter girl wasn't looking her way. More than just a rebel group that wielded murder weapons, Night Raid was a family. Najenda ensured that it was so, so let it be said that its members were thick as thieves. Leone was no stranger to the young gunner's subjects of interest, more so in the romance department. She had understood that a long time ago, and did the girl an unknowing favor by backing off from her own pursuits. The war was against their hearts far longer than a certain, dense squire had been after all.

Mine had quietened down from the rant. Leone noted that it was because one of their own ambling towards them. They nodded off to Akame's entrance, and they greeted them back. Somewhere, there was rustling and Leone squinted hard to tell it off.

She only managed a gasp when Akame had taken a leap ahead, the wind running to her in favor. A syringe had fallen where the booted legs of several intruders stood, and they suddenly found themselves surrounded.

"You have a spring in your steps, little girl," the man with a severe smile said. "However, that won't matter no longer." He motioned to his army, who were tens much greater than their number.

Leone changed into her form, and Mine readied up her own teigu. Akame had come back, blood in her sword as she wordlessly announced her first kill. However, if anything, it made the guy smile even grimmer.

"That was quick, but that won't—"

There was a whooshing in the air, a disturbance from the pressure that had all audience gape at the entrance of a freaking air manta and a bomb dispatched on them. This whirlwind bomb singlehandedly took down the lesser crew and later revealed itself to be human—or was it—but it didn't really matter because the boss has returned, and a new ally has been sent for them.

Leone smirked, drinking at the sight of the frail man scurrying away, only to bump at Akame, who already had palmed his targeted medical weapon. She clicked her tongue as she watched the tables turn around.

.

"EHHH?" Both boys lunged up from their seats, and the side of their heads comically smacked against each other's. Lubbock's chair had tumbled down from the impact. "You had a fight without us?!" It was Lubbock who voiced the concern. Tatsumi meanwhile gulped at the sight of the apparatus.

Mine harrumphed. "It was not that special. It was literally just a normal dispatch mission. And it happened that more than enough people were present to pull it all off." She didn't bother looking, instead piercing at her food using more of her glare than the knife on her hand.

"So she says," Leone chimed calmly. "But we couldn't have fended off from the foot army, right?" her head pointed left and towards her target.

Najenda, next to Leone, also turned her head left. "That's right. I am thankful we were able to catch that timely flight. Thank you, Chelsea."

The object of the compliment shook her head bashfully. "Yah, I'm just glad it went well~ Thank God I didn't push through with my skincare schedule!"

As the jolly group convened, Tatsumi found one member sticking up from the crowd, literally. Susanoo busied himself on the corner to the sink, pilfering with what it seemed to be pots and stoves. The silent man could not only cook, much to Tatsumi's chagrin, but could cook _well_.

"Yes, that it appears that this syringe had some dangerous amplification effect once injected to the user, isn't that right?" Najenda said while inspecting their interest at an arm's length. Tatsumi noticed Susanoo briefly turning to answer. The guy had an apron on too.

"That would be right," he agreed, pausing from the act to answer. "My data gathers that the syringe contained with specific heavy metals instructed to mutate normal cells to have superhuman qualities." _He does research now?!_

"I see. Then I am glad that you three were able to snag if off before they could inject it," Najenda commended with a smile. "And to do that under pressure too!"

"We got real lucky," Leone chirped in. "Apparently, they had our schedules fixed and didn't think we would be out during that time. Caught 'em trolling by the fences. Akame-chan was quick on her feet though!"

"I saw several shadows earlier but they disappeared before I could tell," she muttered nonchalantly, feasting on the meat hill that was piled on her plate. "Good thing Leone caught that dagger blow easily," she added, unknowingly downplaying the ridiculous stunt of Leone stopping the weapon with her teeth alone.

"And, I am proud of us all," Najenda finished. "And for that, we shall have a tasteful drink to celebrate our success, prepared by our Susanoo! Cheers!" _Is he really a war weapon or something?_

"Cheers!"

Everyone held up their empty glasses, which were soon filled with drinks to their hearts desire. Everyone got to catch up and talk and be normal for a change. Akame was still furiously hogging the meat, but they got to destress and got to welcome their two new members.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

.

The night ended on a high note and not a little later, all of them sagged to their respective beds. But Tatsumi had to wait. He was sitting by one of the stone seats and watched the distant sky as he waited.

"I was wondering why no one tackled this issue," he said, as he felt her appearance.

"Akame informed me, and believe me I did," Najenda shuffled close, taking a seat beside him on the seats. "However, I already made the mistake of broaching it up to Mine, who seemed especially sensitive to that. So I would like to consult you instead, Tatsumi-kun. You seem to have been caught in the middle of the crossfires, I gather."

When haven't I? He ruefully asked before swallowing it down in favor of new words. "Yes, I met her as I was trying to escape from the Jaeger's, when she crashed onto me and salvaged my fight."

"Mirai-san, is it? And Leone says she keeps on saying she's from the future somehow. Is that right?" she said, prodding as gently as she was straight to the chase.

"Yeah, she did say that. Kept saying that in fact, until she passed out when some did not listen to her," Tatsumi explained with a sad smile.

"And did you believe her?" Najenda asked, and Tatsumi shut his mouth close. He was silent for a whole minute.

"I don't know," he admitted honestly, eyes downcast. "I've never been the group's thinker nor the voice of reason. I'm just a lowly sword hacker."

Najenda smiled lightly. She had surmised a long time ago that Tatsumi was an impulsive brat, and as skilled as he was, his outrageous sense of justice has had claimed a say at their lives more than it did in preserving them. He needed to learn how to back away. And thinking and reflection were undoubtedly the first steps to that.

But Najenda would not be a worthy leader if she had only seen one, lone opportunity in the scheme.

"Listen Tatsumi, we don't know a speck about her whereabouts or who she is. She could pose a threat at worst. At worst, she is a spy and we'd have our own base sold even now. But at best, she is another soldier for us. We convince her for our cause, train her for the war," she said, her gray eyes gleaming and Tatsumi could only imagine the steps she had planned on ahead in this chess-like war. "You said she had talents in fighting, correct? She must have at least some basic training then. I don't see why we couldn't invest from this observation."

"She might not be fit—"

"You didn't have to worry. I had checked on her earlier and had Susanoo take care of her medication. And I won't start meddling until I have your approval." Tatsumi snapped up at the choice that was presented. Bu Najenda didn't deign the silent question. Instead, she continued, "Tomorrow, I will hold a meeting with everyone and then we will decide how to proceed. Is that okay?"

"Yes," he answered tiredly, suddenly relieved and sapped of adrenaline. "That is good."

"For now, you should rest. You earn it, Tatsumi," she commanded softly, before retreating. Stopping once more, she added, rather unnecessarily, "I feel that tomorrow will turn out well. Don't you think so?"

It was consolation, but Tatsumi needed that, so he nodded.

"Yes…"

.

"NOOO!" Tatsumi's eye twitched. Other than still having an unruly bed head, his day was shaping up to be a nightmare quickly. He couldn't help but yawn despite it all. His last night sleep had not been one of the best, being plagued with thoughts and all. "I DON'T WANT TO ANSWER THAT!" It had been three hours past their attendance check.

"WELL YOU HAVE TO!" Surprisingly, Najenda was foaming at the mouth already. When she asked for an audience with the rest of the members, Tatsumi had not foreseen the mess that it turned out. She was one step away from flipping the table too.

"NO, I WON'T!" Mirai jumped from her seat threateningly.

"YES, YOU WILL!" Najenda jumped as well, connecting their foreheads in a head clash.

Beside them, the remaining Night Raid members looked like lost puppies. Either that or they were rolling their eyes at it all. Ladies and gentlemen, it all started when the little kid had called her out and called their serene, just leader one big bitch. They couldn't have foreseen it at all. For all her impartial smiles and just decisions, Najenda never looked like one to spit fire. She too apparently had trigger buttons.

"I'm asking you how you got here, and you. Won't. Answer," Najenda said through gritted teeth, channeling pound after pound of her lost patience, which at the moment was zero.

"Well, I did! But it looks like you are deaf too! I. Don't. Know." Mirai spat fearlessly, mimicking her tone even. "Why are you being a bitch?"

"Why are you being a brat?" Najenda countered, not putting the foot down competitively.

From the side, Tatsumi glanced at his seatmate, who was smiling but not joining in. He could almost be eating some popcorns at this point. "Lubbock, aren't you going to defend her?"

"Nah, the boss gets hot and unstoppable like that," he said, and with a shrug, he added, "might as well see how the rare scene plays out."

Tatsumi then addressed the big guy, who apparently was Najenda's humanoid teigu. Susanoo was sitting ramrod straight, eyes forever unconcerned. "Um, don't you uh, go berserk at all? Or, go to her aid when brawls happened?"

"I would recognize whether the situation calls for support," he spoke coolly, and then added, "besides, she gave me specific orders not to meddle in."

"I see."

Tatsumi scoured the scene. It seemed that everyone was indeed present. Only Leone and Lubbock were actively cheering. Akame was stone-cold on her sit, while the new girl Chelsea was glossing over her lip with several balms. That was when he noticed Mine's absence. But before he could voice out, it seemed that the match got into a standstill.

Najenda hotly looked away, backing up. Her forehead was red. Mirai meanwhile was smiling from ear to ear. But that did not last. "Fine! Seeing as this goes haywire, you can forget all about your weapon, kid! You failed."

"Where did you put her?" she asked, trying to get the other to look back.

"I told you! This is a test, and you failed it. You're not getting your weapon!"

"Then the test is rigged, seeing as it is full of butt questions!" Mirai retorted childishly, but tears could be seen on the corners of her eyes. "Meanie, meanful one-eye!"

Tatsumi caught Najenda twitching at that and held his breath. Surprisingly, she seemed to have come back from the heights and surrendered in a deep breath. She held her forehead tiringly and rubbed it. "Well, you won't leave me at all no matter what, would you?"

"Nope!"

"And you won't stop until it settles, would you?"

"Nop!"

"Then, consider this your last chance, missy!" she said, jabbing an accusing finger to the kid's forehead who braced against it stubbornly. Tatsumi's eyes widen as the finger made him target next. "You will spend the day with Tatsumi AND Mine and then they will judge!"

Tatsumi gaped. Mirai looked like every Christmas had fallen at the same time. Najenda's eyes were glazed in sadistic pride as she vented the frustration unto the blameless casualty. Tatsumi glared at the traitor.

They heard angry footsteps tapping near, and THAT'S where Tatsumi realized. If anything, Najenda had caught it and her smile curled deeper. Then, Mine made an entrance in a white flash of anger.

"WHAT?!" _She had to rub it to a particularly heavy wound._

"That settles it, everyone," she said, commanded like the wolf had retracted back to the sheep's clothing and she had been the Najenda back when this mess didn't start. Ridiculously evil. She even smiled, much to Tatsumi's chagrin. "Lubbock, Leone, Akame. Restock the fridge and do rounds. Susanoo. Kindly prepare a nice, cold bath and a glass of cool cucumber juice—no, make that a pitcher. Or three." They began walking away.

Tatsumi tensed up. Mine looked like she was ready to blow up her mentor with her own former weapon. But instead she sagged. Glaring at Tatsumi like it was his fault, she walked out. It seemed like the trend these days. Tatsumi wasn't even surprised at the return of the clinging koala baby.

"Looks like we're going to spend a day together! Teehee~"

Tatsumi's life sucked.

.

.

A/N: Hey ya'll~ You noticed that I uploaded two in one go. Well, it had gotten long, so I decided to split it apart. So, toodles…


End file.
